Medfield Resident Offers Tranquility to Community with Yoga Studio

Two years ago, Medfield resident Tracy Buckley was overwhelmed by stress and turned to yoga for an escape.

“My father was really ill and I started doing yoga more,” Buckley said. “I found that the stress of caring for him and coordinating his care from Medfield ­– he was up in central New York – created so much stress.”

Buckley was able to find peace and tranquility through yoga and her time on the mat changed her life.

“I found when I would get onto the mat and practice yoga, I could actually breathe,” Buckley said. “It would be an hour and a half and I wouldn’t think about anything but being right there and it was life changing.”

As a result of that experience, Buckley developed a passion for yoga and had a growing desire to share that passion with the Medfield community. She had been entertaining the possibility of opening her own studio; looking at open spaces around town and talking with friends and family but didn’t commit to the idea until last spring.

“I finally said ‘why don’t I just try it’ and just start investigating it,” Buckley said. “The more I looked into it, the more it got me psyched. And I thought if I could bring that hour [of yoga] to somebody else and provide the space to do that in Medfield … because a lot of people travel out of town [that would be great for the community].”

Buckley said while there are places in Medfield to practice yoga, there isn’t a yoga studio, which is why she was interested in opening one in town.

“By providing a space for yoga, this is all we do and it is open to everybody,” Buckley said.

On Jan. 23, Buckley, with the loving support and help of her husband, Jim as well as father-in-law and friends, opened Medfield Yoga on 28A Park St.

“It was really exciting and really scary,” Buckley said of the opening. “I think the anticipation of it was worse. Was anybody going to come? What happens when we open? I just wanted it to happen. I kept saying to my husband, 'I just want to open the doors.' … I’m so happy.”

Buckley said the first week was so successful that it almost left her “in tears” every night because of the support and positive feedback she was receiving. Her dream to share her passion with the community had come true.

“To provide this to somebody is awesome,” Buckley said. “The first week has been great. Thank you to everyone that has come. I’m thankful for the teachers and I just want the word to get out and for people to know we are here and we’re open to everyone coming. [We want] comments and feedback. … I’m thrilled with how it turned out.”

Buckley said transforming the space at 28A Park St. required a special permit from the town because it was a change in type of business to recreational use. After three months of review, the Zoning Board of Appeals approved Buckley’s request and Medfield Yoga was in business.

Buckley’s husband and father-in-law transformed the old office space into the bright, relaxing and quiet yoga studio she had wanted.

“This was a labor of love,” Buckley said. “A lot of late nights and weekends. My husband sacrificed a lot, my father-in-law, my mother-in-law and my two daughters; it was truly a family [effort]. A lot of our friends came to help at different stages. This is all of our handiwork. … Bless my husband and my father-in-law’s hearts for doing this. It turned out so beautifully. The transformation has been beautiful.”

Buckley says she has been practicing yoga for 10 years and became certified in Vinyasa yoga last winter at Prana Yoga in Cambridge. Buckley admitted Vinyasa is her favorite type of yoga.

In addition to Buckley, Medfield Yoga currently has three other instructors: Susie Masters, Lisa Schwarz and Christina DeLuca. To read their biographies, click here.

Medfield Yoga currently offers six different types of yoga classes: Vinyasa Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Gentle Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, Heated Vinyasa Yoga and Kids Yoga. To learn more about these classes, click here.

“It’s a good mix because it is different styles and I think everyone will be able to find at least one teacher that really they can click with and feel comfortable coming in to class with,” Buckley said.

Buckley hopes to expand the types of classes the studio offers in the future.

“We are hoping to bring in all different types of yoga to reflect what our community needs, wants and the communities surrounding us also,” Buckley said.

To register for a class, simply log on to Medfield Yoga’s website and click “schedule.” Find the link “View Schedule / Register for Classes” and sign-up for the class you are interested in.

“We are new so we are finding a lot of people are looking for a 6 p.m. class, so we will talk about that,” Buckley said. “If no one is coming to a class then we will cancel that one out. … “On the weekends, we have morning classes. During the week, we have morning and evening classes almost every day.”

In addition to sharing her passion for yoga with people, Buckley said she wants Medfield Yoga to reflect the Medfield community.

“I’m a stay-at-home mom, I work part-time from home, I have two young kids and kids are such a big part of Medfield,” Buckley said. “I want the schedule here to be reflective of the need of parents. … I want feedback from people. I never opened a yoga studio before. That’s the thing; it’s a community thing. Let me know, we’re certainly open to hearing anything.”

Buckley said above all, she is “psyched” to offer a great space in a great location to Medfield residents who need time for themselves.

“If you build it they will come and they are,” Buckley said. “It’s just so nice. We’re open, people have come, and people are excited about it. … We are psyched about it.”

Importance of Yoga

Buckley shares her philosophy on why yoga is important in an individual’s life:

“It’s an unfortunate phenomenon in our world today that everyone is so busy and so available to e-mail, texting, phones, taking kids here and there, going to work, etc.,” Buckley said. “There’s no time for yourself or to quiet down and let down. A lot of people let down in front of the TV, which really isn’t clearing your mind, it’s relaxing but it’s also like come do something and have it be quiet.

“[Yoga is] a completely new perspective. I think a big part of it for me was learning about my body and what I could do with my body. It took a lot of practice, it took a lot of work and focus but I did it. And seeing other people do it is so cool. Just taking that hour or hour and 15 minutes to settle down. You come and take care of yourself for an hour.

“I don’t care if you come into [Medfield Yoga] for an hour and half class and just lay on your mat the whole time. It won’t bother me. Do what you need to do and take that time for yourself. This is a comfortable, safe place to do that.”